Patient is ordered to return to the operating room to treat an infection of the surgical wound from a surgery she had on the abdomen three days ago. The coder will assign modifier _____ to the procedure code describing the cleaning and debridement of the infected wound.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Modifier 78 is used for a return to the operating room for a related procedure during the postoperative period. In this case, the patient is returning for treatment of an infection related to the initial surgery, making modifier 78 the correct choice.

Patient Is Ordered to Return to the Operating Room to Treat